Prevalence and determinants of substance use among a sample of Iranian adolescents with ease of access to drugs: an application of Social Development Model

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence rate and determinants of SU in adolescents based on the social development model (SDM). In 2018, applying a cross-sectional design, cluster multistage random sampling was employed to recruit 600 adolescents in Bam County, Iran, to participate in the study. A valid and reliable SDM-based instrument was used to collect data. The prevalence rate of using at least one substance was 42% (in girls 33.6% and in boys 50.3%). Adjusted for covariates, having close friends with SU was found as the factor with the highest risk. Higher scores in involvement in prosocial activities and interactions (OR: 0.47; 95% Confidence interval (CI): 0.33–0.66, p < 0.001), attachment and commitment to prosocial others (family and school) (OR: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.58–0.93, p < 0.05), and skills for interaction/involvement (OR: 0.51; 95%CI: 0.39–0.67, p < 0.001) reduced the odds of ever use of SU among adolescents. Also, higher levels of perceived rewards for antisocial interaction/involvement (OR: 2.22; 95% Confidence interval (CI): 1.53–3.22, p < 0.001) and belief in antisocial values (OR: 2.24; 95% CI: 1.67–2.94, p < 0.001) increased the odds of ever use SU among the respondents. In community-based interventions to prevent SU among adolescents, a great focus should be firstly on identifying the probability of SU in close friends. Moreover, the involvement of adolescents in prosocial activities and interactions, attachment and commitment to prosocial others (family and school), and skills for interaction/involvement should be core categories while designing community-based interventional studies.

KEYWORDS:

• Substance use
• Social Development Model
• students
• adolescence
• risky behavior
• risk and protective factors

Authors’ contributions

Study design by AI and NN. Conceptualization by AI. Drafting of the manuscript by AI, HN and RSh. Analysing data by YJ and HN. Data collection by RSh. Methodology by AI and HSh. Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content and Project administration and Validation by AI, HN and HK. Supervision by AI and MMF. Writing, reviewing, and editing by HK and HN.

Acknowledgments

The authors extend their appreciation to the participants for their cooperation throughout the study. They also appreciate the assistance of the members of the Ethics and Research Boards of Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Ethical approval was obtained from the institutional review board of the Kerman University of medical Sciences. (Ethics approval code: IR.KMU.AH.REC.1395.90). Written informed consent was obtained from all students and at least one of their parents prior to their participation.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

The authors extend their appreciation to the participants for their cooperation throughout the study. They also appreciate the assistance of the members of the Ethics and Research Boards of Kerman University of Medical Sciences. (Ethics approval code: IR.KMU.AH.REC.1395.90).

Additional information

Funding

Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran